Kurt Hartmaier makes a drink, while his wife, Katy Hartmaier, watches at The Blue Abode Bar, their new bar in Barkley Village, Monday, Dec. 11. The bar is open seven days a week. Philip A. Dwyerpdwyer@bhamherald.com

Kurt Hartmaier makes a drink, while his wife, Katy Hartmaier, watches at The Blue Abode Bar, their new bar in Barkley Village, Monday, Dec. 11. The bar is open seven days a week. Philip A. Dwyerpdwyer@bhamherald.com

There’s now much more to Barkley nightlife than just dinner and a movie

A new establishment in Barkley Village is aiming for that relaxed feel of a neighborhood bar.

Kurt and Katy Hartmaier recently opened The Blue Abode Bar at 2925 Newmarket St., near Mod Pizza. The bar focuses on local beers and Washington wine, as well as locally made liquor to make cocktails. It also serves sandwiches, salads, wraps and soups for lunch and dinner.

Kurt Hartmaier worked as a bartender in Whatcom County before deciding to open his own place. His goal is to have a comfortable place where people from the neighborhood can hang out, and he hopes it will be a date night stop for people before or after going to the nearby movie theater.

While it has the national brands to make cocktails, Blue Abode also has products from local companies, including Chuckanut Bay Distillery and Mt. Baker Distillery. The bar also has national beers on tap, but focuses on a regular rotation of local brews. In the first week, surprisingly the most popular beer has been Molson Canadian beer, he said.

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The addition of Blue Abode and Overflow Taps is creating more of a evening scene for Barkley Village, which has traditionally been more a daytime shopping area. The Hartmaiers say they plan to add to it by working with Overflow, possibly hosting a block party or other summer events.

The bar is open 3-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, noon to midnight on Friday/Saturday and noon to 11 p.m. on Sunday. Details can be found on its Facebook page or theblueabodebar.com.

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